Nikhil Kamath, the 37‑year‑old co‑founder of India’s biggest discount‑broker Zerodha, told NDTV’s Rahesha Sehgal that Gen Z must bring back the words 'questioning' and 'curiosity' during a rapid‑fire segment at the NDTV World Summit 2026. He added that a 25‑year‑old under‑paid and over‑ambitious young professional should simply change jobs, calling 'not changing things enough' the most common pitfall for people in their twenties. The two‑word mantra has already started trending on Instagram and LinkedIn, with thousands of users debating whether curiosity can be a competitive advantage in the fast‑moving tech economy.
Kamath’s entrepreneurial instincts kicked in at 14, when he began flipping cellphones among ninth‑grade classmates before dropping out of school. By 2010, he and his brother Nithin launched Zerodha, a brokerage platform that now serves over 10 million users and has become a household name in Indian finance. He said that the same spirit of questioning that drove his early ventures is essential for navigating the age of artificial intelligence.
During the interview, Kamath urged Indians to spend more, warning that cash is losing value rapidly. When asked about the pillars of a good life, he said, 'Something to look forward to.' He summed up the summit in three words: 'well‑organised and fun.'
The splash of his advice sparked a tidal wave of LinkedIn posts from young professionals reevaluating their career trajectories, with many citing Kamath’s call as a catalyst for seeking new opportunities. Industry observers note that companies are now reexamining their mentorship frameworks to align with a culture of continuous questioning and curiosity.